Vovtarla
The Kingdom of Vovtarla (Vovtarlan: Rolshon se Vovtarla), simply known as Vovtarla, is a planetary nation located in a star system near Jerde's solar system. Flag The flag of the planet-kingdom of Vovtarla consists of a white horse in a light blue background. The horse (Vovtarlan: koz), its national animal, represents freedom, national identity, and happiness, while the light blue in the background represents peace and prosperity. The horse in the flag is also Zrotharoz (meaning "Iron lightning" in Vozonid), the steed of King Aghurendon I, the first of Vovtarla's proper kings. History See also: Vovtarlan kings For much of its early history, Vovtarla was uninhabited, populated only by various animals and reptiles. It was first settled by pirates of Monterjo descent who sought for a planet to build new bases and fleets, but frequent power shortages caused the resulting colonies to regress into backwardsness. When the Sarmelonid Vozonids arrived, they found that most of the planet's inhabitants were barbarians who were only capable of building furnace-powered machines, so they put most of them into slavery. Decades later, one of the first freedmen who emerged from the planet's blue populace led a planet-wide revolt and created his own nation, Noviron, as the first of Vovtarla's kings. That man is now known as Aghurendon I, the Liberator. Millennia later, the kingdom of Taskeddzha became a tributary of the Jauparturnid Dynasty to protect itself from the Cyan Senate's rising might. Once the Jauparturnid Vozonid monarchs became unreliable and destructive, Taskeddzha's emperors ordered the construction of the Golden Fleets to protect their kingdom from incoming attacks, such as the devastating invasions by the Ontemazei Empire. Around nine centuries after the Tornarin Bombardment on Jerde, Vovtarla was split by a civil war into three kingdoms, and then reunified under the current royal dynasty. After fending off waves of barbarians, Vovtarla sought diplomatic relations with various other civilised worlds in the Galaxy. Geography Much of the planet of Vovtarla has a tropical climate, and many parts of the planet's continents consist of cleared grasslands and rice farms. Its capitals varied throughout its history: * Kossuawenz (founding, Sarmelonid era) * Rauna * Raunava * Ronaivoro * Present day: Veugatchosse (administrative), Kozawez (royal palace, site of Kossuawenz) Economy The Vovtarlan currency consists of the kozan, which is made of 160 lakerivensh. Its primary industries consisted of agriculture; and mining gold, obsidian, and emerald. In spite of the country's prosperity and high living standards, Vovtarla suffers from widespread poverty. Society See also: Vovtarlan glossary Vovtarla practices a culture influenced by that of the Sarmelonid Empire. Horses are very popular animals in Vovtarla, and most horses in Vovtarla have grey ("white") coats and tips. Vovtarlan society is characterised by a caste system that can be shown by the suffixes in names. It involved royalty, nobles, scholars, soldiers, merchant, and workers, followed by slaves at the bottom. Slavery in Vovtarla was abolished in the 1960s. Religion Like the Sarmelonid Empire, the national deity of Vovtarla is the four-headed guardian of the universe, Pjosaroz. Nonetheless, the gryphon god Zomjonor is a popular deity worshipped by commoners and merchants. Vovtarla also has its own community of wights, mostly derived from Monterjo folklore. Some Vovtarlan wights even rule over areas as large as continents and entire oceans, and these wights are invoked by the King in special ceremonies and prayers for the entire kingdom. Vovtarlans use humanoid statues in proper ceremonies to worship their gods and wights, while in private they use geometric shapes and frames as their idols. Trivia * Vovtarla was based on Indianised kingdoms in Southeast Asia, especially the Majapahit Empire and Thailand. ** Its name was derived from "pop tart", as the author originally intended for the Vovtarlan language to be a joke. ** The horse on Vovtarla's flag was based on Double Diamond, a character from Friendship is Magic. See also * Nandegakko, its atheist and octopus/fashion/archery-obsessed rival * Porashon, another society influenced by Sarmelonid culture Category:Monarchies Category:Countries Category:Alien countries Category:Planets Category:Grifajes